Determining whether you have found the correct disk marker

If are looking for a disk and have found one:

First look at the datasheet and read the Designation field. For example, the designation shown on the datasheet is: CREEK.

If you found a disk that says: CREEK then you have found the correct disk, even if it has a date with it, like CREEK 1959.

If you found a disk that says: CREEK RESET then you have not found the correct disk.

If you found a disk that says: CREEK RM1 then you have not found the correct disk. Refer to this section to help you find the correct disk

If you found a disk that says: CREEK AZthen you have not found the correct disk. Refer to this section to help you find the correct disk

If you found a disk that has some other writing but not CREEK, then you have not found the correct disk whether or not it is in exactly the right place.

If the agency does not match, you probably did not find the disk. C&GS station CREEK is not USGS station BIG CREEK even if nearby.

If you were looking for a disk and did not find any:

Your looking and not finding does not mean that the station is destroyed. Never report Destroyed on that basis alone.

The NGS stance on the destroyed category is very conservative and they require proof of its destruction. A marker buried under 27 feet of re-landscaped dirt is not to be considered destroyed unless the NGS says it is destroyed. For geocaching logs, it is best to follow the NGS stance.

If the datasheet says the disk is mounted on a building and the building no longer exists then for a geocaching log, destroyed is probably the best choice. For an NGS recovery report, follow their instructions in the NGS Mark Recovery Entry page's note 1.

If the disk is mounted in a bridge abutment, tower footing, or other such item that appears to be gone/replaced, note that the disk may still exist in the now-buried remains of the structure in the proper place, and therefore is not destroyed.

If you looked for a disk and found the correct disk dug up and moved out of its proper position.

Report Destroyed on a Geocaching log or, in the case of the NGS, follow the instructions given in the NGS Mark Recovery Entry page's note 1.

If it is not really removed all the way out of its position, but just moved slightly or tipped to one side, report: Found condition Poor.